St. Louis, Missouri
June 4,  2001

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) will field a joint mission to Europe the week of June 10 to assess the status of the biotechnology debate there, to convey the U.S. corn industry's views about agricultural biotechnology and to develop a biotechnology plan of action for the U.S. feed grains industry. 

A joint NCGA-USGC delegation of three farmers and three staff members will visit Brussels, Rotterdam, Geneva and Paris to meet with corn co-product importers, European Commission officials, World Trade Organization ambassadors, European news media, consumer groups and leaders of the French corn growers association (Association Generale des Producteurs de Mais), among others. 

Participating in the mission are: Lee Klein, NCGA president and farmer from Battle Creek, Neb.; Fred Yoder, NCGA Biotechnology Working Group chairman and Plain City, Ohio farmer; Leon Corzine, NCGA Biotechnology Working Group member and farmer from Assumption, Ill.; Rick Tolman, NCGA CEO; David McGuire, USGC director of trade relations and global strategies; and Ellen Dougherty, USGC director of communications. 

Yoder expects this trip will open dialog with the European Union (EU) concerning biotech issues. "We want to find out what their concerns are about biotech and voice our opinions and meet in the middle," he said. 

The EU placed a moratorium on the process for approving new biotechnology events two years ago, effectively shutting off imports of U.S. corn to Europe. Yoder said next week's discussions will give U.S. corn industry leaders a better understanding of how European policymakers and consumers approach biotechnology. Of equal importance, it will allow the U.S. delegation to convey its views regarding the safety and benefits of agricultural biotechnology. 

Yoder is looking forward to the meetings and has positive feelings about the outcome. "We're very hopeful," he said. "Only through open dialog with the Europeans can we break through the current impasse and develop a rational approach to addressing Europe's biotech concerns." 

For more information about the National Corn Growers Association visit www.ncga.com. For more information about U.S. Grains Council, visit www.grains.org.  

The National Corn Growers Association mission is to create and increase opportunities for corn growers in a changing world and to enhance corn's profitability and usage. NCGA represents more than 32,000 members, 25 affiliated state corn grower organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state checkoff programs. 

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